The Day I Fall For You
by Tessa1440
Summary: Hermione has been in love with a certain Slytherin ever since first year. It's her seventh year, and she's thinking it's finally her chance. WARNING: Contains many dramatic plot twists! HG/DM
1. Prolouge First Sight

**Title: **It's Not a Game

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

**Prologue-First Sight**

Hermione slipped through the barrier to Platform 9 3/4 after waving good-bye to her parents, surprised that it was as easy as her books, and the woman from the Ministry of Magic, had promised her. It was her very first year at Hogwarts and she knew that with all of her precious books she had gotten from Diagon Alley over the summer, she was as well informed about the wizarding world as any non-muggleborn witch or wizard.

She glanced around, slightly nervous around the witches and wizards that surrounded her. She dragged her trunk over to the train and stopped at one of the doors, trying to figure out how she was going to get it onto the train.

"Hey, you need a hand?" Hermione turned to see two red-headed boys, about fifteen, standing behind her.

"Yeah," she replied gratefully. They grabbed the handles of her trunk and hefted it up onto their shoulders and carried the trunk up onto the train. They lugged the trunk into the third compartment on the left and boosted it up onto the rack. They turned towards her and with a grin and a mock bow, they introduced themselves.

"I'm Fred Weasley," said the one on the left. "And this is my twin brother, George."

"I'm Hermione Granger. Thanks for helping me!" She smiled and answered their bows with a small curtsy.

"I have a feeling," Fred started.

"That we are all going to like you," George finished.

Hermione stared at the blonde boy standing a few meters ahead of her. She, and the rest of the first years, were boarding the boats that were to take them over to the castle. The boy in question was talking and laughing animatedly with two suspiciously stupid looking boys. He flipped his hair out of his face and grinned an especially charming smile.

She stared at him with a dreamy smile and slipped past the people standing in between the two of them. When she was close enough that she could have touched his platinum blonde hair, if she had wanted to, she hid behind a particularly tall Italian.

She could hear him talking. He had such a smooth voice, a soft drawl. "Crabbe, Goyle, isn't this place amazing? I can't believe I'm finally here. I've been waiting for this ever since my mum showed me those pictures when she and dad were at Hogwarts."

He looked so excited, like a child at Christmas. And when he laughed, she fell in love.

They were standing in a small room, crowded close together, too scared to move any farther apart. Hermione sidled up to the blonde she was fairly sure had stolen her heart. He smiled, just as nervous as everyone else who was crowded into the waiting room.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she whispered softly, quietly enough that he had to move his head within inches of her own. She smiled secretly, and smothered a nervous, yet happy, giggle.

"Draco Malfoy," he said, still as nervous as he has been, yet conveying an air of importance, as though he expected her to recognize the name. She remembered reading his surname once or twice in some of her more recently written books, but she couldn't place it. Just then the teacher who had left them in the room came back in. The professor led them out of the room and into the… what was it called again? Yes, the Great Hall. She gasped when she saw the enchanted ceiling and the floating candles.

When Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head and it announced that she would do her best in the Gryffindor house she was thrilled. She had hoped that this would be the result, that or Ravenclaw. She held her breath and crossed her fingers when Draco's name was called. She hoped that the hat would call out the same word it had called for her. But all her wishing was for nothing. The Sorting Hat had barely been on his head when it called out triumphantly, "Slytherin!"

It was at that moment that she knew there was no way Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy could ever be together.

Because it was then that she remembered where she had heard the name Malfoy. The Malfoy's were a very prominent pureblood family who despised muggleborns, or as they called them, Mudbloods.

**Hey, it's Tessa! Kind of a cliché (and very short) start, but I promise it will get better! I'm hoping that the next chapter will be up sometime tomorrow, but it depends on the whims of my very independent imagination. **

**Love it? Hate it? Indifferent? Leave a review! **

**Love, **

**Tessa **


	2. A Reluctant Goodbye

**Title: **It's Not a Game

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

**ZukoEdward'sAussiegirl**- thank you!

**summersammer**- definitely, as you see in this chapter

**Chapter 1- A Reluctant Good-bye **

Hermione stared at the dark-haired boy who stood in front of her. She had told herself that she wouldn't cry because in doing so she would only hurt them all more. So far, she had held true to her private vow and had not shed a single tear the entire day. She knew she would cry later, she just didn't want Harry's last memory of her to be a tearful one.

There were trunks packed at both of their feet, and another sitting in the doorway into the kitchen of the Burrow. There were very different contents in each of the trunks though, in Hermione's, things for her final year at Hogwarts, but in Harry's there was the things he would need to survive as he searched for the remaining Horcruxes.

He didn't really know where he could find them or how long it would take, or even what they were. Still, he was adamant about the fact that his two best mates were not allowed to accompany him on his search. Hermione had begged and pleaded for him to let them come, and Ron had backed her up, but his answer was always the same: no.

Hermione decided to give it one more shot, even though she knew there was no point to it. "Please, Harry-"

"No," he cut her off. "I don't want you to come!" He pulled her in for a hug to soften the blow of his words. "I want you to be safe!"

Hermione jerked herself out of his arms. She began to pace as she spoke. "Harry Potter, you listen to me. I don't know how many times I have to explain this to you to get it through your thick skull. I will _not_ be safer at Hogwarts. Voldemort has taken over Hogwarts. In case you haven't noticed his goal in life is to wipe out all muggles and muggleborn witches and wizards! And also in case you haven't noticed, _I_ am a Mudblood witch!"

"Hermione Granger, don't call yourself that," Ron said, thundering down the stairs.

"I will call myself that, Ronald! And you know why? Because it's the truth and I'm proud of it!" Both Ron and Harry stared at her as though she was insane. "I figure there are a ton of worse names people could call me, so I've decided not to let it bother me."

The three teenagers stood silently in the Burrow's living room, not noticing when Mrs. Weasley peeked into the room. Suddenly, Harry spoke. "Hermione, are you sure you don't want to go find your parents and go into hiding with them?"

Hermione struggled to stifle a sob that snuck up on her. Her parents, her poor parents; they were two innocent people who wouldn't recognize their own daughter if she walked up to them and hugged them. If only she had known beforehand about Harry's adamant refusal to allow them to accompany him, she never would have preformed the memory altering charm on them.

"No, Harry. I can't do that. I'll go to Hogwarts, be careful and stay out of trouble, and use what I have," she tapped her forefinger to her temple, "to help you as much as possible. And to make sure this idiot," she gestured towards Ron, "doesn't fail his N.E.W.T.s."

"Hey!" Ron cried out. Hermione and Harry both laughed at him, but sobered quickly.

They resumed their unofficial staring contest, and Hermione was pretty sure she was winning, at least until she remembered something that she had wanted to give to the boys. She bent over and pulled her purse out of her trunk, then slammed the lid, startling the boys. She dug through her purse, smiling as she pulled out four pieces of plain, or so Ron and Harry thought, parchment.

"Oh come on, Hermione! This is the last time we're going to see each other in a long while! Can't you think about something other than parchment at a time like this?" Ron said, angrily, his face starting to turn red.

"Oh, hush, Ron, or I won't give you your present," Hermione admonished. That quieted him and he began to turn a more natural shade. She shuffled the papers quickly, handing two to Harry, one to Ron, while keeping one for herself. Hermione watched them with an amused expression as they studied the parchment with a look of concentration on their faces.

After a moment, Ron turned towards Hermione with a slightly puzzled look. "I don't get it."

"You're not supposed to because I haven't told you what it was yet," Hermione said, pulling out a quill. She scribbled briefly on her piece of parchment, the laughed when Harry jumped about ten feet. Her messy words had appeared on his paper that was labeled 'Hermione'. He studied the paper again, more carefully. "It's a spell I found this summer," she said happily. "Now we can talk whenever we want…" She trailed off, remembering how far apart they were going to be, tears welled up in her eyes even as she ordered them not to.

"It's okay, 'Mione. Don't cry. This is pretty cool," Harry said, turning back to the paper and giving her time to get a grip on herself. "It's like texting."

"Or IMing," she agreed with a sniffle and a smile. Ron looked confused and they both laughed at him, telling him it was just another muggle thing that they weren't going to explain. None of them mentioned how much it was like Riddle's diary from second year, though it was forefront in all of their minds.

Hermione looked at her watch just as Mrs. Weasley came in to tell them that they were going to miss the train if they didn't get a move on. Ron and Hermione were going to apparate to Platform 9 3/4, and take Ginny with them, using side-along apparation. Ginny came in just then dragging her trunk behind her; Mrs. Weasley had told her it was almost time to leave. Mrs. Weasley left them alone to say their final good-byes as Ginny ran to Harry and kissed his as though with that kiss alone he could defeat Voldemort. Hermione and Ron hugged him after Ginny had moved away, blushing furiously.

With a final wave, and a single tear coursing down her cheek, Hermione disapparated, taking Ginny along with her.

~*~

**Hey, it's Tessa again! Sorry it took so much longer than I had planned to get this updated. I realized Sunday that I had a Spanish essay due Monday that I hadn't even started yet, and then the homework just kept piling on… Anyway, sorry! **

**I'm planning to update at least every Saturday, sometimes maybe even sooner. I've got another idea floating around in my head, and I think I'm going to work on both at the same time. I'll tell you when I get the first chapter up. **

**I'm looking for a new Beta. How about it Gracie, since you are reading this (or at least you promised me you would). Talk to ya later!**

**Love,**

**Tessa **


	3. A Helping Hand

**Title: **It's Not a Game

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

~*~

This chapter is twice as long as the previous one and took half the time to write it! Don't forget to review!

~*~

**Chapter 2- A Helping Hand**

"You go to your Head Meeting, Hermione," Ron said as he pushed her out of the compartment.

"But-," Hermione said as she struggled to resist Ron's strength.

"I can deal with Ginny; she's my sister," he said, finally pushing her through the door and closing it behind her.

Ginny had been in tears for the last twenty minutes and showed no signs of stopping. She had been holding up rather well; better than Hermione at least. But when they had reached Platform 9 ¾, Malfoy had made a snide comment about Harry not being there because he was to chicken to show up. She had bolted onto the train, trying to hold back tears until she had some privacy. Hermione had followed her quickly, leaving Ron to lug all three trunks onto the train.

Ginny had managed to hold her tears mostly in check, at least until Hermione had come in and pulled her forehead against her shoulder. She had burst into loud, ragged sobs and hadn't stopped since.

Hermione leaned against the wall outside the compartment, silently grateful for Ron's interference. She closed her eyes as she listened to Ginny's muffled cries. She moved slowly down the hall, dreading meeting the Head Boy, because she had a strange feeling that she wouldn't like what she saw. She reached the prefects compartment where she and the Head Boy would be informing the incoming prefects of their duties.

As she took hold of the door handle and pushed it open, the lights flickered and screams echoed from some of the other compartments down the hallway. Hermione's foot caught on the doorjamb, and she stumbled into the room and onto someone's lap.

~*~

Draco sat in the prefect compartment, chuckling silently at all of the prefects who looked terrified that he was going to hex them. He was wondering where Granger was, because he knew without a doubt that she was the Head Girl, unless Professor Snape was in charge of the Head appointments, then it was probably Parkinson. He shuddered at the thought, than let out a sigh of relief as he heard the doorknob rattling.

The lights went out just as he saw a flash of Granger's hair. Suddenly, he felt an unexpected weight fall across his lap; he assumed it was Hermione. He slipped his arms around her waist, prepared to throw her to the ground, but he stopped. She was so small, so delicate, that deliberately hurting her seemed wrong, even for him.

Disregarding the consequences of his actions, he pulled her upright so she was sitting awkwardly on his lap and held her against his chest. She began to struggle slightly; she must have known it was him. She stopped, obviously confused, as he bent his head and whispered, "I'm not going to hurt you," quietly in her ear.

Just then the lights came back on and he felt everyone's eyes on him. He pushed Hermione off of him, still being uncharacteristically gentle. "What?" Draco said defensively, as he felt all of the prefects and Granger gazing at him curiously. "I thought she was Pansy."

The prefects went back to their quiet conversations, but he could still feel Granger's stare burning into the side of his head. He turned to her angrily, wishing she would just give him a break. She merely stared at him while he struggled to come up with an appropriate insult. Just as he thought of one and opened his mouth to say it, she smiled, just smiled, and then turned to the prefects.

He listened halfheartedly as she informed the incoming prefects of their duties and then went over the patrol schedule. He barely registered her words as she said that the two of them were going to be taking the shift right after curfew, which would be fun because they would be able to dock points and give detentions nearly every night.

As the train pulled into the Hogsmead station, Draco stayed in his seat as the prefects drifted out of the compartment to direct the other students to the carriages and the first years to Hagrid. Granger stood quietly in the doorway, obviously waiting for him, though he didn't know why.

He looked up at her, ready to tell her to back off, when she smiled again. "Come on, Malfoy," she said carefully.

He narrowed his eyes and smirked, "So desperate for company, Granger?" But he stood up, for some reason wanting to see her smile again. She did, and he felt a strange warm feeling shoot through his stomach.

He followed her off the train, ignoring the looks his fellow Slytherins were giving him. When they had rounded up their trunks and stepped off of the train, they were shocked to find only one carriage left. They boarded it warily, and sat as far away from each other as they could, which wasn't very far.

"So, Granger," Draco said, leaning his back against the side of the carriage. He stretched his legs out, and his toes brushed against Granger's thigh. She shrunk away from him, disgusted. He was equally grossed out, but he didn't move, only because she looked so un-Granger-like.

"Yes?" She was staring at him, and it was making him uncomfortable. He pulled his legs up against his chest, and Granger relaxed slightly, though she still didn't seem quite normal.

He realized she looked exhausted. Not like she hadn't had enough sleep, but like she had been through a lot that day and it had sapped all of her energy. "What's wrong, Granger?" Draco asked, regretting his words even as he said them.

She smiled again, and shook her head, knowing he didn't really care. But now he really wanted to know, and he slid towards her, ready to insist that she answer. "Tell me," he said quietly, swallowing his distaste and touching the back of her hand.

She looked down at his hand in surprise and then up at his face. He smiled, a rare thing, to encourage her to answer. "I guess I'm just," she paused, searching for the word she wanted, "drained. I mean, it's not every day you say good-bye to your best friend who you may never see again."

"Oh." He was ashamed that he couldn't think of anything better to say, whether it be insult or words of comfort.

Just then they pulled up in front of Hogwarts and Draco snatched his hand away. "You can't let anyone know about this conversation," he said urgently.

"Yes," she agreed, "it would ruin both of our reputations." She turned and jumped out of the carriage, turning her ankle as she landed. She cried out in pain and surprise, and Draco hurried out of the carriage to help her. He held out a hand, looking furtively around to make sure no one who mattered was looking; the only person he saw was that Ravenclaw girl, Luna. She took his hand gratefully and he hauled her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling hers up over his shoulders.

"I think my ankle might be broken," she said as she fought against the tears that were trying to escape.

"Let's get you up to Madame Pomfrey," Draco said as he dragged her towards the school, supporting her weight, which wasn't a lot, on his shoulders. He silently cursed the schools founders for putting the hospital wing so far from the front entrance.

As they passed the entrance to the Great Hall, Draco pulled her along quickly, ignoring her protests because he knew so well the consequences that would follow if anyone saw them together.

Once they got past the crowded room where the first years were being placed into their houses, Draco glanced at Hermione to make sure she was holding up all right. Her face was deadly pale, and she looked about ready to faint. Draco swung her up into his arms and hurried down the hall, waiting impatiently for the stairs that were needed to get to the hospital wing to swing towards the pair.

When they finally did, after Hermione had succeeded in passing out and Draco had sworn so much that Peeves was reluctant to interrupt him, Draco hurried onto them. When the stairs reached solid ground again, Draco loped down the hallway, registering with surprise how astonishingly light the Gryffindor girl was.

Draco arrived at the hospital wing out of breath and calling for Madame Pomfrey, who he hoped wasn't at the feast. He heaved a sigh of relief as she hurried out of her office at the sound of his urgent summoning.

"Mr. Malfoy, why aren't you at the feast? Oh dear," she said as she spotted the girl in his arms, "who is this?" Draco looked down at Hermione. Her face was against his chest, where she had pressed it to prevent herself from crying out, and her hair was draped over the bit of her face that was left showing.

Madame Pomfrey didn't wait for an answer as she led him to one of the beds and helped him set her down carefully on the mattress. "Ms. Granger!" Madame Pomfrey cried as she glimpsed the girl's pale face. "Mr. Malfoy, would you care to explain what happened?"

He quickly outlined Hermione's fall and how they were reasonably sure that at least one of the bones in her ankle was broken. Madame Pomfrey examined her left ankle and the look on her face confirmed his fears. "It seems to be broken in several places. While I can heal this, her ankle will be very weak for a few days. If I remember correctly you two are the Heads, correct?" Draco answered with an affirmative nod. "You are to prevent her from doing anything that includes putting more weight than necessary on her ankle, in other words, don't let her lift anything."

Draco nodded, not considering how much work that would take with her frequent trips to the library and her bursting-at-the-seams book bag.

Madame Pomfrey muttered a healing charm over Hermione's ankle and, as Draco watched, fascinated, the bones knit themselves back together.

"I'm going to keep her here over night, Mr. Malfoy," Madame Pomfrey said, turning to him. "You should bring her things to her first class in the morning, all of her books she'll need for the day. Also, you will have to walk her to all of her classes for the next week or so," Madame Pomfrey told him after she had preformed a sleeping spell on Hermione. Draco gulped, realizing just how much work he had taken upon himself. "Now, I suggest you hurry down and tell the Headmistress what has happened and get some dinner," she said gesturing him out of the room.

He waited a moment, brushing his fingers over Hermione's hair. "Good-night, Hermione," He said quietly, before sighing and slipping past Madam Pomfrey and out of the hospital wing. Out in the hallway he stopped. Since when had he called the mudblood Hermione!?

~*~

**It's Tessa again, but you knew that. This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I had anticipated. Funny story: I had the entire chapter hand written out and I just needed to type it up. But somehow, the two versions are not even recognizable as the same story!**

**Next chapter will be up on Saturday, I promise. It probably won't be as long, because I don't have an unreasonable amount of information to fit into a single chapter, but I'll try to make it a reasonable length. **

_**SUPER IMPORTANT: Please note that I will be changing the title sometime in the coming weeks. I will give plenty of warning but I have decided that the title doesn't fit where the story is going. **__**New title: The Day I Fall For You**_

**Many thanks to my brilliant Beta, Gracie. **

**I am sad that my last chapter didn't recieve 1 single review. If my lovely readers keep this up, I might think you don't love me and stop posting. (bribe/threat)**

**Love (in an entirely platonic way), **

**Tessa**


	4. Cheering Charms and Miniature Bats

**Title: **It's Not a Game

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

~*~

**Shyrazie**- Thanks for my only review on the previous chapter. This chapter is dedicated to you, cause if you hadn't commented there probably wouldn't be a chapter!

~*~

**Chapter 3- Cheering Charms and Miniature Bats**

Hermione was dreaming.

_He smiled at her, and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Isn't it beautiful?" He said throwing his other arm out towards the sunset. It was, but Hermione only glanced briefly at it before turning to stare at him, once again drowning in his icy grey eyes. _

_He returned her stare, trying to think of something romantic to say, but gave up when she sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "This is perfect, Draco. Everything I've always dreamed of," she told him, smiling out at the darkening sky. He buried his face in her hair and breathed deeply. "Everything," he agreed. _

_He moved back and slipped a finger under her chin and lifted her face to his. She smiled and closed her eyes, sighing contentedly as he moved towards her. _

Just as his lips touched hers though, Hermione woke with a start. She groaned as the dream faded and the real world cut in, blinding her with the early morning light. Hermione glanced around and realized she was in the hospital wing, though she had no recollection of making her way there.

Slowly the events of the previous evening came flooding back: the train, the carriage, Dra-Malfoy, falling, the pain, and then… nothing. She couldn't recall how she had gotten to the hospital wing and she was starting to panic.

Just then Madame Pomfrey came bustling in with a smile. Hermione grasped at the woman's arm as though it were a lifeline. "Madame Pomfrey, how did I get to the hospital wing? I don't remember," she said desperately.

Madame Pomfrey merely smiled and untangled herself from Hermione's grip. "Mr. Malfoy carried you down here last night," she said simply as she turned to walk away, and when she reached the door, she called over her shoulder, "you can go down to breakfast now if you like, Ms. Granger. The others should start arriving in the Great Hall in about five minutes.

Hermione stood up, frowning at the slight give in her ankle. She didn't mention it as she left though, because she didn't want Madame Pomfrey to keep her in the infirmary any longer. She made her way down to the Great Hall, searching her pockets for her wand.

She frowned as she finished checking the last pocket and no wand had appeared. "Stupid missing wand," she muttered angrily. She thought she remembered slipping her wand into her purse the night before, before she fell out of the carriage, and that meant _it must still be there!_ She thought about going to the head dorms to retrieve her wand when she realized she didn't know the password or even where it was.

"Looking for this, Hermione?" She turned, confused, to see Draco Malfoy standing behind her with his signature smirk on his face. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand- no, it was her wand- and held it up. Her face lit up and she reached for it with a smile. But, to her dismay, he held it over her head.

"Malfoy, give it to me," she said, putting her hands on her hips.

"What's the magic word?" He teased, surprising her with his harmless banter.

"If you were acting normal, I'd say 'Avada Kedavra,'" he winced playfully. "But since you're not, and you helped me yesterday, I'll say 'please,'" she finished with a smile.

She was slightly worried about his easy going manner. It was so unlike him to act friendly and laid back, and she found it unnerving. She wasn't going to protest against his unexpected kindness, however, and continued playing along.

He handed Hermione her wand with a flourish, and she grinned as she took it and placed it where it should have been in the first place: her pocket. "Wait," she cried, holding out her hands to stop him, even though he wasn't moving, "what about my books and stuff? I still don't know where our dorms are!"

He held up her bag, and it surprised because she probably should have noticed her bag in his hand. She grabbed at it, but he put it behind his back. "I'm going to carry your stuff until you ankle gets back up to par."

"Oh." She didn't really know what to say, so she finished with, "thank you."

"It wasn't my idea," he said confessed. "Madame Pomfrey is making me do it."

"You're still going to do it though. Thank you," Hermione said, turning and heading down the hall towards the Great Hall.

"Granger…" he waited until she turned to continue. "Thank you."

"For what?" Hermione laughed.

"For treating me like I _wasn't _the worst thing to ever happen to you," he said, looking down at the floor. When he looked up, she was standing in front of him.

"You give yourself too much credit. You're not the worst thing to ever happen to me, even though you act like it sometimes. No," she continued, "the title of 'the worst thing to ever happen to me' goes to Parkinson," Hermione said, remembering the general bitchiness of the girl. Malfoy made a face and nodded.

"Among her other titles are 'slut', 'bitch', and 'her pugged-facededness,'" he finished with a malicious grin. Hermione laughed and agreed, then turned to finish her trek down the hall towards her friends and much needed food.

~*~

_About an hour and a half earlier…_

Draco sat up with a start and nailed his head on the underside of the coffee table. He had fallen asleep on the couch in the Head Common Room and had somehow managed to roll of the couch and onto the floor. He rubbed his head where a knot was forming and forced himself to his feet.

He stumbled into the bathroom that was located between the Head Girl's and Head Boy's rooms. He showered quickly and pulled on his robes without thinking, but something clattered to the floor as he straightened them, bringing him out of his haze. He bent over to retrieve the object that had rolled under the sink and examined it briefly. It was Hermione's wand.

He smiled, momentarily forgetting his pounding headache. She would be wanting that desperately. He moved across the hall, taking a deep breath and forcing open the door to her room.

It was very similar to his; both had a dresser and a four-poster bed. The colors were different, obviously, as his were green and silver. The muted gold of the walls went well with the deep red carpet and the drapes on her bed and windows which were the same color. The house elves had taken care of her unpacking, just as they had done for him, and for that he was grateful; he hated unpacking. He moved to her bed and knelt down in front of the trunk at the end, lifting the lid as he did so.

He rummaged through it, searching for her books that she would need that day. McGonagall had been very accommodating when he told her that Madame Pomfrey had said he would need to bring her things to class for her. She had handed over Hermione's timetable without a second thought, and waved him off to his seat before standing to make her beginning of the year speech.

The gist of her speech had been about inter-house unity, and combining all of their power to put an end to He-who-must-not-be-named. There had been a lot of grumbling from the Slytherins who were loyal to the Dark Lord, but everyone else had cheered. After the feast, Draco had followed Flitwick to the Head Dorms, and after eliciting a promise from him to inform Ms. Granger of the dorms whereabouts and password, Flitwick left him alone.

Draco had, for reasons unknown to himself, decided that the common room couch had looked more comfortable than his own bed and had quickly fallen asleep there, only to be assailed with nightmares full of death all night.

Once Draco had obtained all of the books Granger would need for her classes that day (Potions, Charms, and Arithmancy), he shoved them into her bag and slung it over his shoulder, exiting through the common room's portrait covered door.

He had headed down to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room, figuring he'd walk with Blaise Zabini, his best friend. Just as he reached the wall that gave way to the Slytherin common room, four people burst out. Two of them, Blaise and Pansy, were fighting furiously while Crabbe and Goyle looked on confused.

Draco moved closer, curious about what could have made his normally cool-headed friend so mad. "God damn it, Pansy! You **cannot** hit on every male in the school! Who's next? Weasley? Snape?!" Blaise yelled, throwing his hands up and storming down the hall.

Draco smirked at Pansy and hurried to catch up with his friend. From behind the voice of Pug-faced Pansy could still be heard. "I haven't hit on Weasley," she whined. Suddenly her tone became plotting. "Yet."

Blaise and Draco turned back towards her with disgusted looks on their faces and even Crabbe and Goyle seemed to have caught on; they were staring at Pansy with horror-struck expressions. "You wouldn't dare," Draco snarled, a feeling of nausea spreading through him.

"Jealous, Drakie-poo? I'll leave him alone if you kiss me," she said, slyly, moving towards him and slipping her arms around his neck. Draco threw her off of him as though she had been on fire. He didn't stop to consider the ease at which he could throw his ex when he couldn't even shove Granger off him and onto the relatively soft floor.

"Pansy! I will never kiss you again and I'll never be jealous! Get that through you thick skull! Hit on Weasley, ruin your reputation, but don't come crying to me when he dumps you, and that's if he's stupid enough to fall for your tricks in the first place," he yelled, oblivious to the crowd of interested Slytherins that were gathering. "Come on," he muttered to Blaise and they left, Crabbe and Goyle following along obediently.

"Nice rage," Blaise commented as they walked towards the Great Hall and Draco tried to get himself back under control, "and so early in the morning. Hard night?"

Draco nodded while breathing in carefully, trying to get himself in control. He smiled weakly at his friend, and Blaise smiled calculatingly back. "You know what you need? A cheering charm," he said, eliciting a groan from the great Slytherin prince.

Blaise was known throughout Slytherin for his skill, or rather lack of it, in the art of Cheering Charms. It was a rather weird hobby for a Slytherin to have, casting cheering charms on anyone who seemed down, but it worked for him. Whenever you saw a Slytherin with a smile on his face that _wasn't _terrorizing a first year, you could be sure that it was the work of a certain Italian.

Draco backed away from Blaise, his wand drawn and pointed at his friend. "No."

"Come on, Draco," Blaise said cajolingly. "It won't hurt a bit, I promise." Draco began to move slowly away from his friend, turning to run when he reached the corner of the hall. Suddenly, yet expectedly, the charm hit him in the back moments before Draco could dive towards the safety of the next corridor.

Smiling happily, Draco turned towards his friend and flipped him off gleefully. Blaise laughed as Draco turned and wandered contentedly down the hall, in search of someone who wouldn't make fun of him while he was in his affected state. He dug his hand into his pocket carelessly while hitching Hermione's bag higher on his shoulder.

Hermione! He could go to her! Draco turned and wandered in the general direction of the Gryffindor common room, whistling happily. He came across Hermione searching desperately through her pockets. He came up quietly behind her and heard her muttering about her 'stupid missing wand.'

But it wasn't missing, Draco thought happily. It was hiding in his pocket! "Looking for this, Hermione?" Draco smirked at his own cleverness as Hermione turned. He pulled out her wand and held it teasingly out of her reach even as her face lit up.

As they talked Draco could sense her confusion and even as the charm began to wear off he kept up the lightly teasing attitude, just to confuse her further because confusion wasn't something often seen on the face of Hermione Granger.

When Hermione left and headed towards the Great Hall, Draco stared after her, his expression unfathomable. He didn't know when it had happened, just now, when he had carried her to the hospital wing, on the train when she had waited for him, or years earlier, but Draco had fallen in love with the Gryffindor girl.

Just then Blaise walked up behind him with Crabbe and Goyle still trailing behind. Draco turned and punched him in the face, hard enough to hurt yet not so hard it would cause any damage worse than a black eye.

Blaise did nothing more than laugh and then looked his friend over carefully. "Hey, are you okay? 'Cause you don't look so good," Blaise asked, worried about what might have happened and what his friend might have said while he was in his affected state.

Draco took stock of himself. He felt fine, better than usual to be honest, except for the butterflies that were fluttering around in his stomach. No, he was to manly for butterflies; they were… miniature bats.

"I'm fine, you bloody idiot," Draco sneered. "Let's go to breakfast."

~*~

_Later in Gryffindor/Slytherin potions…_

"You will all be starting your Seventh Year Projects in the coming months. I will be putting you into your partnerships today, so you can get a feel on how your partner works," Snape said.

Pansy Parkinson raised her hand lazily, "what's the Seventh Year Project, Professor?"

"Ah! Thank you for asking Ms. Parkinson, ten points to Slytherin," Snape replied, causing Hermione to shudder in distaste. "The Seventh Year Project is a time honored tradition, in which I myself and many of your parents participated in. Two students from different houses are paired up and, over the course of five months, starting after Christmas break, make a potion, which will do what the Potions Master, in other words me, assigns you. This project will be done entirely out of class because you still have to prepare for your N.E.W.T.S. Now for the pairings: Millicent and Brown; Blaise and Weasley; Pansy and Patil; Draco and Granger…" Snape continued listing names but Hermione had stopped listening. She and Draco working on a project together, sitting side by side for an entire year! This was a gift, especially considering how kind he had been to her lately. Hermione smiled secretly, and then fixed her face into a look of distaste as Ron turned to offer his sympathies.

"Poor girl," he whispered as they gathered up their things and moved to sit next to their partners. She smiled ruefully at Ron as she placed her things next to Draco's.

"Hi," Hermione said quietly as she sat down and opened her book to the page number Snape had written on the board. Draco glanced around quickly before returning her greeting with a smile.

"I'll go get the ingredients," Draco offered after reading through the page. Hermione smiled as he left, confused yet happy about his sudden change of heart towards her.

They worked quietly but efficiently, adding the ingredients and stirring as one. They had just added the final ingredient, when an explosion went off in the row behind them. Hermione and Draco caught the worst of the explosion and were thrown out of their seats. Hermione was tossed over the table and her head hit the ground with a resounding crack.

~*~

**I know, I know, I know I promised but my internet was down! That's a good excuse, right? Anyway, poor Hermione! Hurt again! Sorry, but it had to be done. I know I said this chapter would be shorter but it's like 700 words longer! Go me! I promise there is a good reason for Draco's change of heart. See, it all started when- oops! Sorry can't tell! Aren't I an awful tease? Hope that this chapter merits a few reviews, but, using the previous chapters as a foretelling, I won't hold my breath. Oh, and those of you who have signed up for story alerts, review too! It makes my day.**

**Don't forget about the name change coming with the next chapter! **_**The Day I Fall For You **_

**Love and Patronuses, **

**Tessa**


	5. Recovery and Tears

**Title: **The Day I Fall For You

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

~*~

**Chapter 4 – Recovery and Tears**

Draco sat up carefully and rubbed his temple where it had hit the table, pulling his fingers away to find them sticky with blood. He looked up at the people who were crowded so tightly around him that he could barely breathe, and with something akin to relief, he heard the Professor pushing angrily through the crowd, muttering about him needing breathing space. Draco took a deep breath when there was finally a reasonable gap between him and the rest of the students, and looked around to see if anyone else had been injured in the explosion. He spotted Hermione lying on the other side of the desk, with a few Gryffindors crowding around her, trying to get her to open her eyes.

Draco struggled to his feet, swaying slightly as a wave of nausea and pain hit him. The professor put a hand on his shoulder and steered him towards the door, while asking if he could make it to the infirmary without assistance. Draco nodded and stepped out into the hallway, stopping outside the room and resting his head against the cool stone of the wall. He could hear the Professor ordering Weasley to carry Granger to the infirmary.

He laughed softly at the thought of Hermione spending more time in the hospital wing, then moaned as the laugh shot painfully through his chest. He touched his ribs gently, wincing as his probing fingers found one he was sure was bruised, if not broken. Just then the door of the classroom swung open and Weasley stepped out, carrying a limp Hermione in his arms. Draco smirked, just to show that he could, and pushed away from the wall, walking down the hall, making sure that not one iota of pain was visible through his Slytherin persona.

He wandered towards the hospital wing, staying far ahead of Weasley and his load, making sure he was out of sight before he let a single grimace slip through his mask. He pushed the door of the infirmary open with his left hand, making sure that none of the pressure was put on his injured rib. Madame Pomfrey looked up from her novel and calmly marked her place before standing and moving towards him. She led him to one of the beds before asking him what had happened.

"Longbottom's bloody potion blew up," he managed before the door open again, this time revealing Weasley carrying a thoroughly bloody Hermione Granger. Her eyes were slightly open and they widened when she saw him.

"Are you okay, Malfoy?" she asked weakly, lifting a hand as though she could reach him from the other side of the room. He looked at her in confusion, and then lifted his hand to his face again. When he pulled it away, he was shocked to find his entire hand drenched in blood.

"He's better than you, Ms. Granger. It looks much worse than it is," Madame Pomfrey assured her, leading Weasley to the bed next to him and helping him set the girl down. "Back to class, Mr. Weasley," she said, dismissing him. He looked at Hermione who nodded and smiled, assuring him that she would be alright. Weasley left, though not without one last look over his shoulder.

Draco studied her carefully. Her shoulder was at such an odd angle that he was sure it was broken, as was the bone in her lower arm. There was a ragged cut running along her hairline that was dripping blood steadily, and her eyes seemed unnaturally dilated. His brusque side and his compassionate side were having a debate over whether or not she was seriously hurt and whether or not he actually cared enough to ask, when Madame Pomfrey interrupted him.

"Mr. Malfoy, I will have to attend to Ms. Granger first, as she is losing blood rather rapidly and is going into shock," she said as she began to administer potions to Hermione who was quickly losing consciousness.

Suddenly, his compassionate side won over and shoved his brusque side into a corner. "Is she going to be all right?" Draco asked before his brusque side came out and forced him to add onto his question. "Because it would be bloody annoying if I had to do the potions project all by myself."

"Of course, dear," Madame Pomfrey said absently as she got to work on Hermione.

Draco watched as Madame Pomfrey once again put her efforts into healing the girl. Her bones were healed as quickly as they had been the previous night, and the blood flow was stanched before the mediwitch left in search of a blood replenishing potion. Draco saw her sigh and open her eyes, which she turned in his direction. "Looks like I got the worst of the blow, doesn't it?" she said weakly, giving him a smile that's strength was equal to that of her voice.

"I imagine Longbottom got the worst of it, by way of detention and loss of House points. He's hopeless without you, isn't he?" He thought back over his words, and winced mentally when he realized his last words might have been taken as a compliment. It was, but he didn't want to move quite that fast. The night before had been a fluke; he couldn't bear to see her in pain. He had always respected her for her intelligence, her loyalty, her courage, and her sharp wit. And ever since first year and that bloody scene before the sorting he had had a bit of a crush on her, which had finally morphed into the love he had simultaneously been dreading and hoping for.

~*~

Hermione knew better than to think that he would ever compliment her on her potions making skills, so she thought nothing of his words, chalking it up to a reaction to the explosion. When Madame Pomfrey came back, she turned away from him and took the potion without protest.

She sighed as Madame Pomfrey healed the cut on her forehead, and settled back, glad that the pain was finally gone. She watched through silted eyes as Madame Pomfrey moved to Malfoy's bedside and began to check him for damage. She fed him the same potion she had given to Hermione, and then healed his temple. Using Scourgify, she cleaned the blood off his face.

She shifted her wand so it hovered over his chest, which he had been clutching ever since he started his trek towards the hospital wing. She muttered a spell that seemed to check for broken bones and clicked her tongue when the tip of her wand lit up over one of his ribs. She murmured a healing charm and smiled when he relaxed.

"You are free to leave whenever you feel up to it, Mr. Malfoy," Madame Pomfrey said as she turned her attentions back towards Hermione. Malfoy smirked at her from behind the woman's back as he pushed himself up in the small bed carefully. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, inordinately pleased when he had no problems with his balance.

"Oh, and Mr. Malfoy, I'm taking the liberty of giving you the rest of the day off. I daresay you won't miss much," she said, turning away from Hermione for a moment and smiling.

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey," Malfoy returned with a smile. If looks could kill, the glare Hermione had given him would have certainly done him in, but he gave her a serene smile and left her fuming.

Madame Pomfrey muttered the same checking spell over Hermione and was happy to find nothing seriously wrong with her. She poured another potion into Hermione's mouth and smiled in satisfaction as the girl began to drift off, as was the potion's intended purpose.

The last thing Hermione saw before succumbing to the darkness was a memory of the smile Draco had given her before he left. She thought briefly about how young and innocent it made him look, but then the potion dragged her into the unthinking abyss of darkness.

~*~

_Three hours before dinner…_

Draco sat on the floor of the common room, staring blankly at the fireplace, which blazed merrily. He could feel the tears dripping down his face, yet made no move to brush them away. He could see the papers that lay beside him vaguely; the tears had somewhat blinded him.

He heard the door to the common room drift open slowly but he still didn't move. He was hurt too badly for the thought of the muggleborn seeing his tears to cause him any shame. She was humming something that he didn't recognize, and it soothed him slightly, though he didn't know why. Hermione wandered through the room; stopping only what it was impossible for her not to have seen him. She moved towards him slowly, kneeling down beside him and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. He shrugged her hand off, not in rejection, but because he couldn't bear to have someone comforting him now.

Her hands rested in her lap for a moment; he could see them out of the corner of his eye. "What's wrong, Malfoy?" she asked. He recognized his words from the night before. Had it only been last night that his greatest worry had been staying out of the sight of his fellow housemates? He would gladly have been seen with her a hundred times over, if only it would make the contents of the letter untrue.

He shook his head, too sad and too tired to answer. "Tell me," she insisted after a minute. He thought about it for a moment, and then decided that he needed to tell someone before he completely lost it. He opened his mouth to speak and was shocked when all that came out was a ragged sob. He pointed to the letter sitting at his feet and she reached for it wordlessly. Hermione pulled him to his feet and led him over to the couch, where he sank down and leaned back, gratefully.

She opened the letter and began to read.

He could see over her shoulder and he read the first few lines once again before closing his eyes.

_My Darling Draco, _

_The time has come that I find myself inclined to confess something to you…_

~*~

**It is Tessa once again, bearing apologies and white flags. **

**However, I, once again, have a good excuse. My annoying brother (age 6) decided that it would be fun to practice his recently acquired wrestling skills on me while I was asleep. Somehow he managed to slam **_**something**_** into my temple, giving me a mild concussion. It sucked. Big time. **

**Anyway, I realize this probably wasn't worth the wait; it's just a connecter chapter. On the bright side, it's **_**finally **_**Spring Break, and I do believe that I will be posting as soon as I finish the chapters. **

**As Gracie pointed out, the swearing in the last chapter is nothing like me and I had a bit of a problem writing it. So, the swearing will be kept to the bare minimum. **

**Please review. It makes my so happy and I float around on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. **

**Love y'all, **

**Tessa**


	6. Narcissa's Confession

**Title: **The Day I Fall For You

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

~*~

**Chapter 5 – Narcissa's Confession**

_My Darling Draco, _

_The time has come that I find myself inclined to confess something to you. _

_The man you have so long considered your father, Lucius Malfoy, is nothing more than a man I married to appease my demanding parents. _

_Your real father is a man I met in my seventh year. My potions master paired me with the Gryffindor muggleborn for our seventh year potions project. There was a strong animosity between us that would only come down after dinner when we would meet in the library to work on our potion. We both loved potions. I'll always remember that about him, the intensity he had for his work. _

_Things started to change about halfway through the year, It started out with little things, like me wishing him good luck before Quidditch match, even when it was against Slytherin or him wishing me good luck before a test, or just simply smiling across the Great Hall at each other. People started to notice and somehow word got back to my father. He arranged a marriage to take place between Lucius and I. I was so certain he would pull me out of school and make me finish my education at home, but all he did was write a letter telling me to 'have fun while you can, because directly after graduation you will be a married woman.' _

Just then Draco shifted on the couch and rested his face in Hermione's lap, still crying. She looked at him in shock, and let her hand hover over his hair for a few moments before dropping it and smoothing her fingers through the soft, silky locks of blonde hair and returning her attention back to the letter.

_I got that letter in the library about five minutes before Matthew showed up. He found me with my head buried in a book, tying to hide my tears. You see, Draco, I had fallen in love with the know-it-all Gryffindor muggleborn. He took my book from me without saying a word and took me into his arms, holding me until my tears subsided and I was able to tell him the contents of the letter that had effectively ruined my life. _

_I won't bore or embarrass you with the details of our first kiss. But I will say that it was a hundred times sweeter than any kiss Lucius ever gave me. _

_Life was better from there on out. Lucius was very jealous of Matthew because he considered me to be his personal property, even though the only thing binding us was a stupid deal made between our blood-obsessed parents. I know Lucius wasn't happy with the arrangement, regardless of how he viewed me, because I knew for a fact that he loved, and always would love, our fellow Slytherin, Abigail. _

_We spent so much time together, during class we would always sit next to each other, after we would roam the grounds before returning to the library to work on our homework together. One of our favorite places in all of Hogwarts was the tree that grows right along the edge of the lake; we could sit there and talk for hours. There was nothing that could separate us. _

_Matthew was such a silly person; you would have loved him. He could make me laugh even when I was in one of my 'moods.' Whenever one of my roommates was being a prat about something, I could always count on Matthew to give me some sort of advice on how to get back at them. He was great at revenge. We both wondered many times why he hadn't been sorted into Slytherin for that very reason._

_As graduation and my marriage approached, we were both filled with dread. Graduation was something everyone looked forward to, but we just couldn't find enough good things to warrant even a smile at the mention of graduating. Matthew, Lucius, and I were the only ones who knew about the pending marriage, so no one knew why I would go into fits whenever the subject of Lucius or marriage was broached. The only one who could calm me down when this happened was Matthew, and that was because when I saw him I knew that there was a chance he would be able to get me out of the mess that our growing love had been the cause of. _

_Whenever I had wedding robe fittings, I would come back to school and straight into Matthew's waiting arms. He would promise that he would get me out of the marriage, but we both knew that it was a lie. Back then blood status was even more important than it is now, Draco, and there was nothing a muggleborn wizard could do against the likes of my father, no matter how good his intentions were. _

Hermione looked at Draco again, surprised to see that he had fallen asleep on her lap as she read. She continued to brush her fingers through his hair and began to hum the same melody that she had been singing when she came in. Draco sighed and relaxed; his shoulders had still been tense as he had slept.

_It was the night before my wedding and I told my parents and Lucius that I had gone out with some of my girlfriends. I hadn't really; I'd gone to Matthew. We both got extremely drunk on Firewhiskey because we both knew there was nothing we could do to stop the wedding, short of eloping. We made love for the first and last time that night, Draco, and that's when you were conceived. I had a sneaking suspicion that I was pregnant at the wedding; my mind kept drifting to a small child with Matthew's eyes during the ceremony. I used contraceptive charms for the first few weeks of my marriage without Lucius knowing, and then went to a mediwitch. She confirmed that I was pregnant. I didn't know I could be that happy married to a man I didn't love. I was going to have the child that Matthew and I had been denied because of our blood. It didn't matter to me that I, and now you, were the only ones who would ever that you were Matthew's son, it just mattered that you _were_ Matthew's son. _

_I'm sure that you're thinking that it couldn't be possible because you look so much like Lucius. I was lucky that the only thing you inherited from Matthew were his eyes, which were strangely similar to Lucius'. Everything else you got from me, your hair, your bone structure, everything. Because of this no one suspected a thing. _

_I felt the need to write this letter today, but I'm not sure why. This morning a sense of dread settled over me, and it kept saying that this was my last chance to tell you. So I sat down this morning, locked the door, and wrote this letter. I'm hoping that nothing comes of this sensation, but if something _does_ happen, I want you to know that I will always love you Draco. Always. _

_Love,_

_Mum_

Hermione looked down at Draco with a confused look on her face. There had been nothing sad in that letter, except for perhaps the last paragraph. She shook the sleeping boy awake gently.

"Draco," she said softly when he opened his eyes, "what exactly were you crying about? Finding out that you weren't pureblood after all?"

He cracked a brief smile, but sobered quickly as he pointed to a second letter she hadn't noticed. She picked it up curiously, knowing that what had made Draco cry was resting in her hands. She read:

_To Mr. Draco Malfoy:_

_We, the Ministry of Magic, regret to inform you of the death of your mother, Narcissa Black Malfoy. Funeral and memorial dates and times will be owled to you when the arrangements are made. We are sorry for your loss. _

_The Minister of Magic, _

_Kingsley Shacklebolt _

"Oh, Draco," she said softly, her expression horrified.

"He didn't even bother to tell me himself," Draco whispered, sniffing. "I loved her, more than you could ever imagine."

"Oh, Draco," Hermione repeated, knowing that what he needed she couldn't give him; he needed his mother, but she was gone. "Let's get you to bed," she whispered, pulling him to his feet. He followed along behind her blindly, stumbling down the hall.

When they got to Draco's room she led him to his bed and pushed him back gently, then knelt to remove his shoes as he watched through bleary eyes. She pulled back the green comforter and he slid under it gratefully, hugging his pillow to his chest as she pulled her covers up over his shoulder.

Hermione moved slowly backwards towards the door, killing the lights with a flick of her wand. She stood in the doorway watching a Draco Malfoy she had never seen before bury his face in his pillow. She was about to turn and leave when a ragged sob was torn from the boy. Hermione stopped and stared at him, while she stood indecisive. With a sigh she moved back into the room and pulled the covers down once again while kicking off her own shoes. She slipped in beside him and pulled his face onto her shoulder.

"Go away, Hermione," he muttered, though the way he clung to her seemed to override his demand. She smiled softly and snuggled closer, letting the distraught Slytherin cry himself to sleep in her arms.

~*~

**It's Tessa again! Duh. **

**Anyway, this is my white flag mention in last chapter's author's note. Two chapters in one day, now that's an accomplishment. **

**In regards to a comment I received on the last chapter, I don't mind constructive criticism, but if you're only commenting to be mean I don't appreciate it. If you don't like my story, I honestly don't mind. Go ahead and stop reading; it's not going to bother me. But I'm not going to stop writing just because **_**one **_**person doesn't like my story, my style of writing, or me. **

**The words seem to be pouring out of me but I doubt I'll be able to get another chapter up tonight. I think I'm going to start on a story that I might have mentioned in a previous chapter, so I'll keep you up to date with that. **

**Many thanks to ****Shyrazie**** for her second review (DUN DUN DUN DUN, indeed), and ****LoonyMoony1396**** (thank you and here ya' go!) **

**Love,**

**Tessa**


	7. A Shoulder to Lean On

**Title: **The Day I Fall For You

**Author: **Tessa1440

**Rating: **Pg13 (just in case )

**Disclaimer: **I, sadly, do not own anything except the plot (kind of) and any characters I may introduce.

**Chapter Seven – A Shoulder to Lean On **

He was ignoring her.

She wasn't sure what had caused his sudden change in mood; he had been plenty pleasant that morning, well at least as pleasant as someone whose mother had just died.

When he had woken, he had pulled away from her, ashamed about his actions of the previous night. He sat on the edge of the bed, not looking at her directly, but out of the corner of his eye. She had merely smiled and touched his shoulder, watching him as he realized that she was fine with their positions. He sighed and lay back down, mumbling something about 'bloody Gryffindors'. He was careful to make sure that there were a good four inches between their bodies.

Hermione had ignored the obvious space he had put between them and curled into his side and had fallen back asleep; it was still early enough for another hour or so of sleep. When she woke again he had his arms curled around her waist and his face buried in her hair, sleeping like a baby.

She shook his shoulder, whispering for him to wake up. He opened his eyes and looked at her groggily. "Do you want to go to class today?" she asked quietly, not sure if he could handle the hustle and bustle of the classrooms.

"Yeah." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I need something to take my mind off her. I don't think I could handle breakfast though."

"All right," Hermione whispered, pulling away, "I'll take care of it." She climbed out of the warm bed and headed towards the common room. "Dobby," Hermione called softly.

"Dobby is here," he said as he popped into the room. "What can Dobby be doing for Hermione Granger?"

"Can you bring up enough breakfast for two, please?" Hermione asked kindly, keeping her voice down so Draco wouldn't hear.

"Yes, Hermione Granger. Breakfast for Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy?" Hermione nodded. "Dobby will be doing that," he said happily before he disappeared.

"Finally given up on S.P.E.W.?" Draco asked from the doorway, his voice hoarse from crying.

"Yes. Ron and Harry finally convinced me that the house elves enjoy what they do," Hermione said, turning to look at him. He had pulled a robe over his wrinkled clothes, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was messier than Harry's. Hermione thought him beautiful.

"What?" He asked self-consciously when he noticed her staring at him. He turned and went in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. "Sweet Salazar, I look terrible," he moaned. Hermione giggled soundlessly.

"Draco," she said calmly. His head shot around the corner and he stared at her. "You look fine. Wash your face, comb your hair, and change your clothes before breakfast gets here. Oh, too late," Hermione said as Dobby came back carrying a tray laden with food. She could see all her favorites and some of which she assumed were Draco's. Dobby set the tray down and disappeared without waiting for a thank you, throwing a _look _at Draco as he did so. Hermione sighed as she snagged a piece of bacon off the tray. She set the table in the center of the room with the dishes Dobby had provided, then leaned back to wait for Draco to finish.

He came out of the bathroom almost nervously, though she didn't know why. He looked different as he sat down across from her, but she couldn't put her finger on what had changed. Then it hit her; his hair was different. He left it swinging free and in his face, effectively obscuring his eyes and leaving him looking deliciously mysterious. Without any product, his hair moved as he did and it made him look younger, less harsh. "I like your hair," she said quietly without moving her gaze away from her plate.

He continued to eat silently, but, glancing up, she could see the ghost of a smile on his face.

As they left the common room, Draco turned to her and whispered a thank you before disappearing into the corridor.

When they were in Charms and he seemed to think that the only way to assert that she knew to keep her silence on the matter of the previous night was to be rude, distant, and completely obnoxious. He had cheerfully called out a friendly. "Hello Mudblood," when he had entered the classroom, causing his Slytherin cohorts to laugh heartily. It didn't matter that she knew how forced his tone was and that he probably needed the familiar words to feel even slightly normal; it still hurt. She had thought that with their recent unspoken truce and their new friendship he would at least refrain from humiliating her. She didn't expect Hermione, not yet at least, but was it too much to ask that he not call her the word that only hurt when it came from his mouth?

Hermione kept sneaking looks at him to see if his manner was simply him being Draco or if he wasn't holding up as well as she had thought he was that morning. Suddenly, at something the Slytherin sitting next to him said, Draco stood up abruptly and stormed out of the room, leaving a trail of destruction behind him; he had knocked everyone's things on the floor, excluding Hermione's. Instead, on her desk he dropped a note, which she read quickly as everyone picked up their things. "_Please follow me," _the note read.

Professor Flitwick stared after him helplessly, then at the mess in his classroom. "Can someone…" he said, gesturing helplessly towards the door the Head Boy had exited.

"I'll go, Professor," Hermione said softly, gathering up her things. "I can already perform the charm," she pointed out helpfully when he looked reluctant to send her after the angered boy. "No need to pull someone else out when they could be working on it."

"Yes, yes, I suppose so," Professor Flitwick said, shooing her out the door. Hermione walked out of the classroom slowly, not sure what to expect from the Slytherin that had left in such a state. She expected him to be in the hall waiting for her, but was slightly shocked to see no sign of him. She wandered down the hall, searching for him, thinking that he might have been crying and not have wanted anyone to see him.

Hermione flinched when a silencing charm dropped from the room next to her and the sound of breaking glass met her ears. She slipped into the room after checking to make sure that it really was Draco causing the racket. She grabbed his arm as he brought it back to throw the glass at the wall yet again and pulled it down, taking the glass from him gently.

"What happened?" she asked quietly, leading him over to a desk to sit.

"He's a bastard," Draco growled, refusing to let her touch him. He began to pace. "We were talking about… something," he said, looking towards her apprehensively. "He said that my…mother… would be ashamed of me, if she were here to see who I was hanging out with these days. Conversations with the 'mudblood' – sorry about that by the way," he apologized. Hermione smiled sadly to show he was forgiven. "Apologizing to the youngest Weasel-"

"You apologized to Ginny!" Hermione interrupted, shocked.

"Yeah, for making that comment about Potter. I figure I should stay on your good side, since you're that only one who can handle me at the moment," he joked, humorlessly. "Anyway, I guess I took it the wrong way," he finished, sitting down beside her, finally calm.

"I don't blame you," Hermione said soothingly. "What do you mean when you say I'm the only one who can handle you?"

Draco looked up at her and smiled wryly. "Caught that did you? I should have said you're the only one who _will_ handle me. Everyone else," _Slytherins_, Hermione interjected silently, "they stay as far away as they can when I'm in a bad mood. Sometimes I feel like I'm that glass," he said, gesturing towards the glass he had been throwing when she came in. "Shattered into a thousand pieces, but a simple 'reparo' would fix me up, no problem. But this time… something different shattered when I read that letter. I felt like everything had just fallen apart, and no matter how many times I tried I couldn't fix myself. But then you came and started to put me back together. I don't know how you do it. It's like magic, the way you incorporate me and my problems into your life. I never asked you to help, and you don't know me at all, yet you seem to know exactly when to hold me and let me cry, and exactly when to leave me alone. It's like I'm a Jigsaw puzzle and you know exactly where each piece goes, but you're taking your time, trying to put me back together exactly as I was."

He wasn't sure why he had written that note asking her to follow. He didn't even really want her around. But it was addicting, the way she could just stand next to him and he could feel everything slipping back into place.

When she came in behind him and took the glass away, he just wanted to grab her and hold her close and let her deal with everything that was haunting him. He knew she would do it too, because she was a bloody self-sacrificing Gryffindor. So, instead, he stalked around the room, dumping the entire conversation he had had with his bastard ex-roommate. She just sat there, on that desk, making quiet comments that successfully drained him of his anger.

Suddenly he was spilling everything. Everything he had vowed he wouldn't tell her just came rushing out. He probably would have stopped had he seen her face, but his vision was turned inward, reliving the night before, before she had returned to the Common Room.

He had been sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, a book slipping out of his hand, nearly asleep. When he heard the owl scratching against the window, he considered ignoring it, but then decided that if it was important enough to have bothered him with it during the middle of the day he should probably read it.

He got up to let the owl in and another had sailed in along with it. He recognized Mother's owl as the second one to enter, and had opened the letter it held first, greedy to read his mother's words. As he read he became lost in the world of nearly twenty years prior, and when he came up for air he was so… shocked, delighted, terrified, angry, elated, horrified, irate. But all of those died away as he read the second letter. It had taken him only seconds to recognize the Ministry seal, and a few more to read it and have tears soaking his face.

He didn't move, barely breathed, for hours, seeing those words every time he closed his eyes, yet unable to keep his eyelids open.

He sensed her presence but didn't acknowledge her until he heard the concern in her words. He let her read the letters, only because he couldn't bear to have her mad; making Hermione mad was just asking her to hex you, and he couldn't handle any more pain. She had held him while she read and he reveled in the human contact, realizing that as she held him, as she stroked his hair, he could feel the hurt draining away. It wouldn't stay away; that he knew. But here, in the arms of a girl he claimed to hate, he found peace.

Draco tore himself out of the memory and returned to the dusty classroom. She was standing in the same spot; she hadn't moved, in fact.

"I'm sorry for running off on you like that," he said quietly.

Hermione was suddenly staring into his eyes from inches away. "I realize your mother just died and you aren't quite yourself. But who the bloody hell are you, and what have you done with Draco Malfoy!" Draco stared back at her in confusion, his eyes asking the question that refused to come out of his mouth. "You're Draco bloody Malfoy! You're not supposed to be sitting in an empty classroom with me, spilling your secrets. You're not supposed to apologize to me twice in twenty minutes! You're not supposed to stay on my good side; we fight constantly! You're not supposed to cry yourself to sleep in my arms! You're just not supposed to!"

"Hermione," he said quietly, effectively shutting her up with a hand over her mouth. "What if I don't _want_ to do what I'm supposed to?"

**Hello, my beautiful readers! This took **_**forever**_** to get just right. It really would be in your best interest to start yelling at me if there are more than two weeks between updates. It would probably get me to sit down and write.**

**Anyway, here's a little self promotion! I have a new story up called Voluntarily Forgotten. It has two chapters posted and I'm working on the third, so check it out!**

**Question! This is a series of three questions, one in each coming chapter. This is in regards to a character I plan on introducing, but only have his/her role, not the individual character. **

**SO… MALE OR FEMALE?**

**PS- Girls, it's not going to be some hot guy you can drool over, so actually think about your answer, okay?**

**Love, **

**Tessa**


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